Is playing video games harmful to my tweenager?

Aaron Kandola, from University College London’s psychiatry division, recently led a study into depressive symptoms in young boys who’d played video games regularly for years. He says:

“A satisfactory and evidence-based conclusion on whether video games are harmful to young people remains elusive, despite decades of research.

“One overview of the evidence in 2018 suggested violent video games may increase aggression, but a 2020 review found no such link.

“A more recent debate is whether video games affect young peoples’ wellbeing or mental health. A comprehensive 2016 review found high screen-based device use increases the risk of depression in young people. But a closer look at the data revealed this risk didn’t apply to video games. Excessive gaming could disrupt important behaviours for mental health, such as getting enough exercise, eating well, or keeping up with schoolwork.

“The World Health Organisation (who.int) controversially defined gaming disorders to describe these patterns of addictive behaviours. But recent estimates suggest fewer than 1% of the population meet the gaming disorder criteria.

“The underlying assumption behind much of the public narrative is young people could be spending time on more worthwhile pursuits than gaming. Similar assumptions also narrow the focus of research to investigate risks rather than benefits of gaming. But our recent study found regular gaming was associated with lower depression scores in young boys. Another 2021 study found more time playing Animal Crossing or Plants vs. Zombies was associated with increased emotional wellbeing. Other studies have found video games can positively influence brain structure and performance on memory and problem-solving.

“The mental health benefits of video gaming will outweigh potential risks for some young people. But the balance of risks and benefits will differ in others, as with most factors that influence mental health.